The Files of Augustus Black
by Rayzor14
Summary: Black didn't know what all was to come from his decision. There was no way he could've known. All he knew was he was doing a friend a favor and maybe mixing things up a little. After all, looking after Jackie's niece Jade for a few months couldn't be that hard, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Yeah, read my profile and you'll find out what this came from. Basically, there's plenty of stuff for Jade, but not a lot for Black or other characters that don't receive the credit their due. I simply happen to like the good captain and want to see more stuff with him in it. So, without further a due, onwards to the fic!

The Files of Augustus Black

Talismans: Passing the Buck

Augustus Black was a man who, over the course of a long, hectic life, had met many people. None so fascinating and admirable than one Jackie Chan. They'd met in college, back before he'd left his overbearing attitude and cockiness for something more suitable for a professional environment and Jackie had still been chest deep in his glaring need to please and acclimate those around him. The details of their first meeting were truthfully spotty; he'd been drunk off his ass and the younger man had said something in passing that registered to his inebriated mind as an insult and he'd ended face first in the dirt, chewing grass, gravel, and some bitter-tasting pesticide. When he came to the next morning, it was on a couch that wasn't his in a far too clean dorm and with his future friend in a too large campus t-shirt and sweats pouring over an essay that Black was sure wasn't due until after break.

From there they'd met for coffee, as Black drunk little else and Jackie needed stimulants to ward off the crushing fatigue, which led to studying for exams which evolved to the younger man teaching him the basics of martial arts and somewhere along the way of going here and there, doing this and that, they'd become friends. Jackie told him of his ambition to become a renowned archeologist and after laughing for a while because really, only Jackie would choose such a tear-jerkingly boring career when he knew enough self-defense to lay out the whole starting line-up, Black confided his wish to join the military. His father had done so, as had his aunt and uncle and his grandfather would've if disease hadn't confined him to a chair for the majority of his years. His friend thought this was an equally bizarre choice since Black's major was in civics but had encouraged him all the same.

After graduation, where Jackie had somehow managed to _not _get elected valedictorian and yet took it with great stride and even congratulating the lazy transfer student who'd snatched it, Jackie had been accepted to the San Francisco Museum as an assistant to some professor who he never bothered to remember the name of and he'd enlisted into the Marines. After some of the most brutal training he'd ever undergone, throughout which Jackie had called and talked about his job, the minor discoveries he'd made and just be an overall godsend from the constant activity, he'd emerged as Augustus Black, Private First Class. He never was too sure about when he started been watched but after obtaining Chief Warrant Officer in record time, he'd been approached by some stereotypical man in a what screamed as shady clothing and then offered him a proposal.

Boot camp was hard, but it looked like recess compared to the training he'd received while undergoing training for the exclusive and technically nonexistent Section 12. The secret governmental organization handled such threats as war-mongering extremists, terrorist cells, and other such unsavory determents to national security. He'd been assigned a field position and posted out to the northeast, far away from anyone and anything he knew. The workplace environment was…sterile, he suppose was a good word for it. Not so much in the fact that everything looked clean, pristine, and almost untouched by human hands, but moreso in the vein that everyone he worked with was very…distant. There was no camaraderie, none of that invisible, but there closeness that had existed with his fellow recruits and certainly not the same friendship he shared with the Asian archeologist. They were professionals dedicated one-hundred percent to their duties with no time for frivolous niceties like bonds and companionship. To this day, he was still fairly embarrassed to admit that his being chosen to spearhead a new division whose sole purpose was to hunt down and eradicate a single, massive multi-national underground conglomerate was to throw up his hands and whoop to the ceiling. The psychiatric exam that followed was entirely his own fault.

The newly dubbed Section 13, and wasn't that just inviting trouble with that number, had been staffed with the finest criminologists, former law enforcers, and veteran agents their superiors could spare and Black's first official action as Captain had been to organize a meet-and-greet. Unorthodox it might've been, but Black wanted this Section to be different from his previous experience. He wanted to know his men, know the men behind the professional masks and standard issue shades. Figure out what made them tick, why they'd chosen such a path in life. Between that, catching up on the latest ventures of the dubious Dark Hand, and making sure all operations were running at peak efficacy, it'd been nearly two years since he'd last called his friend. The realization had been met with a stream of vicious, self-reprimanding curses and a fumbling for the cell phone tucked away in the far too many drawers of his desk.

Black spent the first few minutes apologizing, explaining that his previous Section had prevented personal calls to the outside and that he'd been recently promoted and getting acquainted with this team and setting up shop, but had been no excuse to not call his long-time friend when the first chance presented itself. Then Jackie had cut him off and started apologizing himself, saying how he'd only tried calling a handful of times, his schedule and calendar keeping him running without nary a moment's rest. From here, the conversation fell back into an easy, companionable dialogue, rants about the trails of work, recalls of past youthful exploits and casual remarks about the goings-on in their lives. The call had lasted nearly three hours, but felt as if barely a moment had crept by when his assistant informed him of urgent matters and Black had snapped a bit too harshly but Jackie had gracefully accepted his circumstance and excused himself.

When the Dark Hand decided that Settle was far too nuanced and tepid, not to mention wet, they'd moved their base of operations to San Fran, which allowed him an excuse to change venues as well, relocating to the populous, lively city. The fact that Jackie lived there, only a few minutes away had nothing to do with his decision, no matter what Johnson claimed. So, he'd met back up with his friend, in the flesh, had coffee like the old days, and went back to work with a renewed sense of purpose and a better drive to see the villainous organization destroyed. So, for a time, everything in his life was at an ideal state.

Then Jackie had called and informed him that his latest expedition had unearthed a strange artifact that a group of shifty figures seemed quite insistent on having. Black had suggested he return to the States and allow his men to look into the matter, but he'd declined. The Museum had offered him the reigns of a new dig in some secluded Mecca in South America, something about a lead on some lost sub-set of Aztec culture, and he expressed is explicit desire to go. They went back and forward, the Captain explaining the danger he might be in after the encounter while Jackie countered with the secretiveness of the project and how he'd already addressed the shield to his Uncle's shop, before Black finally caved, rubbing small circles against his temples. Of course, there was still one other, small matter he'd needed looking after by his friend…

Which is why Augustus Black, Captain of Section 13, former Marine and Section 12 field agent, was waiting, sign in hand as he attempted to pick out his target from the sea of faces of the San Francisco International Airport. Part of him wondered why he'd even agreed to this. After all, Jackie had other relatives, well a relative, he could've put the kid with, but his friend had told him of his…reservations, all entirely founded, about their capability to raise another child at their age, especially one as…rambunctious as she'd been called. _Now, if only I could find her. _

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look Chinese. Or even a little Asian." Black snapped his attention front and center, vision sweeping over the crowd "Down here."

He tilted his head and was met with a pair of honey-colored eyes framed by two jutting bangs and dark, nearly black, blue hair. She wore an orange hoodie, a long sleeve made most likely of wool underneath with blue pants and red and yellow tennis shoes. Her expression was one of curiosity, mixed with a hint of suspicion and just a dash of contempt. Well, they were off to a great start.

"That's because I'm not." he crouched, bringing himself to her eyelevel and thus reducing the intimidation factor brought on by differing heights "I'm Captain Black, a friend of your uncle's. You'll be staying with me until he gets back."

"Back? From where?" she tilted her head, the gears practically whizzing as they spun out possible theories "The store? The Olympics? The Clink, 'cause that'd be so awesome, not that he'd got sent there but because he made it out."

…Alright, so he could check off over-imagination "No, he's at his job."

"What's his job? Is he a cop? Maybe a treasure hunter? Or is he…a mule? Is that why you're here, 'cause he's delivering the goods and you're a crooked cop whose covering for him in exchange for some product? Because let me tell you right now, I'm at _least _worth fifteen K."

…Yeah, better make that _very_ over-imaginative. He shook his head once, just to make sure the image of Jackie smuggling anything anywhere had been properly dispelled, before clasping the little girl's hand and leading her back to his truck.

"So what's your name?" Not that he didn't already know, but it was common courtesy and would serve a welcome distraction from the previous topics of conversation

"…Yuan. Or was Jasmine? Maybe Tiffany?" And she was definitely being difficult for the sake of it.

_This is going to be a long six months._

[FOAB]

Jade Chan, in all her eight years of living if one could call the boring drek that passed for it living, had never been in such a situation before.

When her parents -okay, her dad as her mom was still busy working on her latest pitch and couldn't be bothered- had told her that she was being sent to live with a relative for the next while, she'd been conflicted. On the one hand, she felt a bit stunned, dismayed, and even a bit betrayed. She knew she was a handful for her ordinary, sedimentary parentals. She never did like the traditional lessons her mother tried so hard to instill in her or the talks of future careers and prospects her father seemed to enjoy so much and definitely not the constant mingling she was obligated to at the company parties. First off, the dresses she wore were far too frilly and impractical. Secondly, the food was far too high class and upper crust for her burger and fries palette. And thirdly, and most importantly, she absolutely loathed the smiling, giggling, tittering drones that attempted to pass off as children .

They were spoiled, hungry eyed little clones-in-the-making that did whatever they were told how they were told to. The girls would yank her arms and pull her into a improvised tea party or worse, tea ceremony and gossip about the latest snippets of info gleaned from the far-above-them-so-they-must-not-anger-them adults. The boys would sweet talk her, honeyed words that reeked of falsehood dribbling clumsily off their tongue as they tried to curry her favor and by extension that of her parents. They wore the strict, confining suits and oxygen depriving dresses and reveled in their apparent superiority over the 'plebians' in their year. She doubt that half the words they spouted were done so with any real coherency or knowledge of what they might but it didn't matter, so long as the ramble remained ignorant as well.

And Jade Chan, true to form, was the odd man out. She'd sit in her seat backwards, sat slumped without the iron rod posture, and spoke in the disdainful slang of the lower class. She made her contempt for such gatherings known loud and clear and the others soon caught wise and shunned her for it. The girls would whisper behind her backs about the 'tomboy' and the 'ruffian' while the boys devised ways to circumvent her while still achieving the goal they sought. No big deal, she hated those snobs anyway, but at school it was the same. She was out-casted for her clothes, her speech, and even her attitude as her attempts at normalcy were seen as the passing fad of the privileged looking down on them once more. So there was no help to be found there.

However, on the other hand, she was excited. A change of scenery from the dull, listless China life to the mysterious and new American life. That was bound to be an adventure! So, after she packed her bags, regrettably in a pink, baby blue variety as her mother still insisted she was a five year old, she went to the airport, boarded and spent the rest of the flight fantasizing about what her new life might bring her. So, when she disembarked only to discover her transport was some bald, mysterious so called Captain, she'd been thrown a bit of a curve ball.

The car ride was suitably awkward. It was glaringly obvious that Black had never had kids of his own or been responsible for them for any given measure of time. He was constantly fiddling with the radio, or going for minutes without nothing but the soft pop beat between them before attempting another tread of conversation that she somehow twisted into an unrecognizable mess. But for her part, she felt justified. Apparently her new relative was exactly like the ones before…okay maybe not exactly, he'd at least found someone competent to pawn her off on instead of the nannies and baby sitters the others had. Clever of him too, this way he even gave the illusion that he cared about her as he'd dredged up some probably long neglected friend into taking in a complete stranger. Well, he had at least one point in the 'Not Sucking as Bad as the Rest' column.

The truck came to a stop next to an alley which Black told her to follow him down towards. She'd given him a look, that one that said 'How stupid do you think I am?' but he had insisted that it'd be nothing unsavory or shady or anything that numerous cop and crime shows had told her would occur. Stepping out of the truck, she let the man grab her hand -really, she doubted if he was trying something she'd be able to get away anyway- and guide her into a phone booth. Before she could comment on the randomness or make a Superman joke, he inputted some numbers and a card and suddenly they were moving and that was most certainly _not _a shriek of panic she cried as her grip on the man increased several fold.

The windows were black for a few moments before light once more exploded forth and she fought valiantly to relate the incoming images with her brain. Because what she was seeing was an entire underground base straight of a Spy movie complete with disgruntle looking agents in shades, multitudes of computers, and various tech and machinery buzzing all around. The phone booth landed with a soft clunk and hissed open, Black leading her forward as she took shaky, uneven steps after him.

This…this had to be a dream. It had to be, she reasoned as the Captain -he was so totally a Captain without any further doubt- led them deeper, passing several security points and answering myriad questions from all manner of people before coming to a stop at a plain looking door. She shot him a questioning look, still a bit out of it from the…everything and he returned it with a soft smile. He pushed the door open and her eyes nearly fell out their sockets.

The room was big, bigger than even her parents room back home, with two sets of bunks positioned within the walls -How freakin' cool was that? Completely, that's how much!- and lit by at least a dozen fluorescent lights overhead that dimmed then brightened as the man slid a slider. There was a desk with what looked to be a very slick looking laptop -Top of the line, steel finish, hopefully gaming compatible- and a bookshelf mostly bare save a few hardbacks and on the far wall was a massive, mounted television. A dresser of polished oak with matching nightstand and a chest filled with who knows what -please be toys, please be toys, please be toys- finished the place off along with a strangely analog clock.

"I'll let you get settled." he leaned down once more, reaching her gaze "You need anything, just phone an agent. It's speed dial one. And if you need me, I'm down the hall, to the second left."

He ruffled her hair playfully and then rose and left. Jade simply stared about the room for another few minutes before giving her arm a good, firm tweak. When the pain registered and she didn't wake up back home or in some frumpy, down beaten apartment, she rejoiced and did a victory jig about the spacious room. Yes! After so many long, painfully dull years, she'd finally hit the jackpot! She was in a super-top-secret underground base in an unbelievably awesome pad and was under the care of the head honcho: sweet! Body still humming with energy, she darted about, eager to take in all the complete epic-ness of her new living arrangements.

Two hours later found her sitting on her stomach, munching on a protein bar complements of the mini fridge -She had a mini fridge. Her life was officially awesome.- idly flipping through channels presented in High Def so crisp it looked as if it'd come right of and grab her as she dabbled on a handheld. Even with all the amazing-ness that was Casa de Jade, she still felt the onset of boredom steadily inching its way upon her. Unlike other times, however, it was easily remedied. Finishing off the bar with a final chomp, she balled the tinfoil and shot it into the waste bin, nailing it. Fist pumping to herself, she slid from her bed and made her way towards the door, sticking her head out before inching her way out. Because as if she was going to let some mook show her all the boring parts when she could see all the good stuff herself.

The hallways were surprisingly barren, Jade only having to duck for cover a few off times and even then there'd been a convenient hiding spot available. When she wasn't hiding, she was looking around and found herself quite impressed at the sheer size of it. Black's down the hall meant down a long, winding corridor and taking a left meant going passed several high clearance areas. Sighing, she was about to give up hope of finding an unlocked door when one readily presented itself a moment later. Giddy with excitement, she pulled the knob and swung it open only to be assaulted by the noxious fumes within.

"Gah!" She gagged, eyes watering as her hands waved away the worse of it "Geez, did something die in here?!"

"Only my peaceful solitude." Jade started, head whipping round towards the source of the deadpan voice

It belong to a man, surrounded by mechanical bits and bobs with wires and cables spread about amongst a far too small desk. Most of his bulk was covered by a white lab coat and what could be seen beneath was a orange shirt and jeans. He wore a black cap, bill twisted backwards over his messy chestnut locks and his eyes were mis-matched as one was normal and baby blue and the other was distorted and large behind a magnifying lens attached to some contraption that seemed a hybrid of lab equipment. He raised the lens, squinting at the diminutive girl as she took a nervous step backwards.

"Um, hi?" Because what else did you say when you encountered a new person? Especially one as queer and strange as he was

"You're Jade." She started, eyes wide in surprise "Jackie Chan's niece. You're the kid Black's looking after as favor for him."

"How do you-"

"I make it my business to be as well informed as possible about whatever goes on around here." he leaned over something, sparks flying as he worked on it "Never know when something might pop up unexpected. Or someone."

That last part had been aimed at her specifically, she knew, but couldn't bring herself to dwell on her embarrassment for too long as the scene around her demanded more attention. She was in a lab of some sort, the array of gadgets and gizmos hinted at that much, but there was a surprisingly lack of personal. You'd think with an operation as seemingly big as their's, there'd be more hands working on it.

"Research and Development is a largely defunct department since we receive most of our standard equipment from our superiors. I'm charged with inventing new crime stopping/prevention measures and weaponry to deal with the increasing threat. So no, there's not a lot of people working on it, for that, you'd want the Equipment/Tool Maintenance Division."

And his guy was apparently a mind reader, if he was able to answer her question without her asking it. Matter of fact, what was this guy's name any-

"Kepler."

Okay, that was just freaky. Desperately seeking a change in topic, Jade proceeded to examine the various pieces of finished and half-finished products around the lab. Kepler piped up with an explanation, warning, or declination whenever she stopped at something that caught her fancy. After passing over what appeared to be some skeletal construct of a person with wires and circuits for innards, Jade paused as her gaze swept over a rather intriguing bit of tech.

"Can I borrow this?"

"Sure." Kepler droned, more sparks flying "Just don't break it. That's the only working prototype."

Jade Chan smiled, broad and radiate. This would be fun.

[FOAB]

Black sat at his desk, reports splayed out in front of him and a cup of freshly brewed coffee clasped in his hands. So far, everything seemed to be going quite well. Jade had appeared quite dumbstruck upon entering Section 13 and even moreso after seeing her room. Black had had that particular space renovated as soon as he confirmed he'd be receiving the young girl. The Captain couldn't say he exactly knew what children liked or what they expected, but he'd done a bit of research before decking out the girl's quarters. If her reaction was anything to go by, he'd managed to succeed on that end. Now, all he needed to do was call the school and transfer her documentation and she'd be all set to start next week-

"Captain!" Black shot his head up, giving the agent his full, undivided attention "We have a problem."

Black gave Agent Mickey a dubious look. While he certainly didn't lack for size, -he was big enough that even Black had to work a bit to take him down in a spar- he had the tendency to overreact to any given situation. He blamed it on the man's still wet-behind-the-ears status and high strung nature. Still, as his commanding officer he was obligated to hear out all possible determents to their priorities.

"What sort of problem?" And he was curious, Mickey brought all kinds of peculiar cases. Like yesterday, when he'd barged in like it was the coming apocalypse when they ran out of copy paper

"That girl, Jade I think her name is, she's-" The agent never finished as he bowled over as Black muscled out the doorway and towards someone more competent. Because it'd be just his luck that something would happen to the girl the day he gets her. If anything happened to her, Jackie'd have his head.

"GANG WAY!" And suddenly he was rolling to the side as a streak blurred past, whistling by as a group of agents trailed in its wake. Captain Black blinked before scrambling to his feet and after the fast moving posse.

He'd only just caught up with them when the zipping U.F.O gave a shuttering creak before it's entire frame started hiccupping and its flight became erratic as it barreled through the space of the main area, spinning out dizzying paths as it hollered in alarm. Then, it jerked, puttered, and fell into one of the main monitors, glass and electricity flying as him and his men swarmed the crash site. Once upon it, Black gave it a closer inspection and deduced that it was one of Kepler flying drones made to be piloted manually. The silver, dark grey colored oblong saucer hissed, steam billowing out as the canopy popped off…

…revealing a nervously chuckling Jade, hair mussed and slightly frayed with a smattering of soot on her hoodie, pants, and face. Black once again blinked.

"Um, steering malfunction?" Black massaged the bridge of his nose, shaking his head softly

_This is going to be a _long _six months._

**Author's Notes: **Well, bet people weren't expecting this! Yep, this little number is something that's been in my head since chapter four of ADF and really, I love the absolute crap outta it. Black doesn't get nearly enough love folks, sad but true and even though Jade's the second main character, don't think she'll be hogging that spotlight for too long. And yes, this is my main Breakout fic and please, enjoy the light-hearted, easy going atmosphere. It won't last. TTFN!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **And here we are at the second chapter for FOAB! Have to say, I really like writing this story, but ADF takes priority. This chapter we send more time with Jade, some time with the good captain, and we are introduced to the plot.

The Files of Augustus Black

Talismans: A Mystifying Education

The morning had started out pretty decent. In fact, it'd started out rather great as Jade rolled over on her stomach and lazily rubbed her eyes. The early hours of the day had never been her favorite and she wasn't one for activity until at least the good cartoons came on, but her no seemingly infinite number of channels flickered to something decent as she grabbed herself a breakfast bar, a tall glass of apple juice, and toast slavered with copious amounts of fruit flavored jam. After consuming her morning fair and taking a quick trip to the shower -Her own, personal shower. This, plus the flat screen and mini fridge just made her life so complete- she emerged in her standard attire and crashed back onto the bed with a smile. She'd get up later, maybe bug Kepler about that new molecular transmogrify-er ray he was droning on about…

…And then Captain Black had to ruin by telling her to get ready for school.

"But Captain Black!" she totally wasn't whining because that would be immature and not something someone as grown-up and sophisticated as himself should do when pleading her case "Why do I have to go to public school? I mean, can't you just home school me? I'm pretty sure Kepler-"

"No." The scientist/engineer deadpanned, eyes fastened to his latest project as he marched through the halls. Jade did her best to ignore how creepy that was.

"No, Jade." The man himself kept walking, casually checking off items from a clipboard that seemed to appear from nowhere "The paperwork's already been filed and notified and your class' are set. Besides, public school gives you a chance to mingle with other kids your age."

"Tsk, if I wanted to do _that, _I'd just go to the arcade, or MooseWorld, or the skate park, or-"

"The _point _is, Jade, that public school can be a rewarding experience. You never know what kind of people you'll meet." They climbed into the phone booth, the glass sealing behind them just as Jade retorted with a smart remark

The car ride this time was considerably less awkward than last time. It'd only been a week since her little stunt with the manned drone, but thankfully the damaged done was mostly superficial as it'd only been a minor observation system and not something truly important. Since then, Black had done what he could to keep her occupied on less destructive pursuits. This meant devoting a few hours of his time to the girl during his breaks to watch a movie, play a board game, or simply talk to her. He was surprised by how much enjoyed their time together and she was elated to finally spend so much time with someone.

By the time they pulled up to the school, Black was finishing a tale of his youthful exploits in stopping a splinter cell based in the mountains of Montana and Jade was listening with rapt attention as they climbed from the truck. It was still, the hall mostly empty as class had recently started and Jade chewed her lip nervously as her grip on her guardian doubled. Black raised a dubious brow before giving her a warm smile and ruffling her hair.

"I'll pick you up at three, alright?" Jade gave a very reluctant nod before receiving one more affectionate head ruffling in parting before drudging up her considerable courage and walking through the door.

The classroom itself was larger than she was use to with a fair amount more of students whose names she'd probably only passing-y remember. The teacher, a middle-aged women with brown-reddish hair tied into a messy bun, paused in her instruction of multiplication and studied the girl before her. Jade, honest as she was, could admit that the eyes behind those eyes shone with a piercing intellect garnered from years of experience building the minds of kids like herself and the single look seemed to sum up her entire assessment of the girl: Do _Not _Cross Me.

"Everyone," her voice commanded absolute authority, the backs of all the sundry students snapping ramrod straight "we have a new student. This is Jade Chan, from Hong Kong, China. Jade, why don't you take a seat near the middle with Drew."

Thankful that she wasn't one of those 'Tell us something about yourself so we might have some nugget to dig up should we ever decide to talk again' teachers, she gratefully made her way to the middle of the rows, taking the empty seat next to the dark-skinned lad with glasses. Satisfied with the proceedings, the women went back to tapping out equations on the blackboard, the lackluster energy of her voice quickly filtered out as Jade toyed with her Super Moose Eraser.

"Hey." The young Chan started, turning her head to and fro before it settled on her neighbor "You really from China?"

"Yeah." Her reply was bit dull, tinged with incredulous and wary suspicion "Why?"

"Do you know karate?" Jade could say so much about that statement: like how it was stereotypical, how it was borderline racist of people to think just because she was Asian she was naturally gifted with movie-star level combat skills, how she'd likely be asked that same question a dozen times before lunch hour. Instead, she answered thusly.

"No, but I do know some martial arts." She'd asked -alright, begged.- her parents to let her take self-defense lessons and not that boring, new-age garbage about how to take down a purse-snatcher. Any idiot could aim a kick to the crotch; if she was gonna take someone down, it'd be with style. "I could show you some, if you want."

"Really?" His enthusiasm bled through with almost glaring transparency before he roughly coughed into his hand and assumed an aloof, bored look "I mean, it's cool. If you want."

"Drew, Jade. Quiet back there." The two's conversation may have broke off but Jade's wide grin didn't, even in the face of boring arithmetic.

[FOAB]

'Uncle's Rare Finds'

The sign was wooden, painted with bright and muted colors with writing beneath that was written in the owner's native tongue. Black stared at the sign, as he usually did whenever he'd been forced to venture here when his friend was studying something, or practicing his forms, and wished not to be disturbed. Seeing as he'd spent roughly five minutes gazing at the sign, he deemed it a long enough wait for him and then ventured inside.

"You Are Late!" Well, at least he was home.

Black sighed, brushing past a collection of Vases from some long forgotten era of some illustrious dynasty before coming up to the counter where behind an old, Asian man in a vest and long sleeve rolled to his elbows was hunched over what he assumed was the shield Jackie had sent over.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had some other errands I-"

"No Excuses!" Black flinched at the volume, his ears ringing as he dug into them to sooth the noise "You were suppose to be here Yesterday. Uncle Verryyy Specfic!"

The Captain actually raised an eyebrow. "No, you said to meet you today-"

"Unacceptable!" The man turned, revealing a cord that trailed to his ear where a phone was held, his freehand racking through his grey hair "You will deliver Tome of Quan-Xing Tomorrow or Uncle Shall Nevvver Deal with You Again!"

The phone was slammed against its receiver with a disgruntle 'Hmp!' before the old man took notice of his presence. The agent repressed the sheepishness creeping up his spine and simply offered a simple wave as greetings.

"Captain Black." he nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose "On time as usual. How come nephew never on time like Captain? Always late, for all reasons! Uncle never understand!"

And just like that, he's somehow put his friend as a matter of interest once again without doing anything other than showing up on time. Then again, the elder Chan, simply named Uncle, never ceased to latch onto any reason to criticize the more trivial portions of his younger kin's aspects. The man had been wary of his friendship with Augustus at first, but saw how easily and effortless he calmed his nephew and brought out the best of his personality, so he'd allowed their relationship to stand. And as he grew to know the Captain, so too did his respect for the man. Which was partially the problem.

While he was supportive of his nephew's choices in life, both good and bad, he never did understand why he choose such an occupation. It seemed a waste of his potential, seeing how he possessed all manner of skills that might've been better employed in other areas of expertise. He'd admit he always held slight hope that the boy might purse a career in acting, as he had in his youth, but, it was not to be. So, when faced with the Captain of an entire secret governmental organization dedicated to for a singular, noble purpose, Jackie's uncovering of the artifacts of the distant days was a bit…meek. A youngster like him should be looking towards the future, not back in the past. True, he ran a busy in antiques, but he was an old man. He'd earned the right to be hypocritical if he so chose.

"Well, you know Jackie. He's always doing something." Which is why he was saddled -Given. Not saddled, as that implied an unwanted burden and Jade certainly wasn't that- with his niece. "So I take it this is the shield."

It was a very nice shield too. Carved symbols of golden petal-like marking that surged towards the center, which held a stone that was marked with the red rough amalgamation of a bird of some kind. Black tilted his head. Why on Earth was that there? He reached for it and then retreated his hand, the back of it stinging courtesy of a two fingered rap.

"No Touching! Uncle must Do Research on Writing. Verrryyy Old." His piece said, he retreated to the back of the store where his personal library of dead languages presided and Black sighed as he fell backwards into a chair.

He'd promised Jackie that he would personally see to the shield's safe delivery to the museum himself and to do that meant he'd have to sit and wait for Uncle to to finish translating the writing. Truthfully, he wanted to just take the shield and be done with it, but no. The writing could be important, detailing some secret message from long ago, a window into the lives of figures of past glories. Personally, he thought it was just chicken scratch, but then again, that's what he perceived most other symbol-based systems of communication to look like. So, he simply busied himself and waited.

Time seemed to trickle by at a snail's pace, each method to alleviate his boredom growing less and less efficient with each repetition. Field reports and activity logs proved too mind-numbing after the first hour, as did going over the events of his calendar. The next hour was filled with doodling, tapping his pen, and mentally going over a few combat scenarios. The one after that was whittled away with pacing, coin tricks, and browsing the store's wares. And the one following that was filled with fiddling with a puzzle on his phone, more pen tapping, and more pacing. By that time, the clock read two-thirty and the worry of being late picking up his charge nagged at the back of his head. He opened his mouth to ask of the progress of the translation but the words never actualized.

Because at that moment, the Dark Hand's Enforcers walked in.

From there posture, stride, and casual confidence, he suspected they assumed him some random, run-of-the-mill counter clerk instead of the high-trained, professional operative that he was. The leader, a pale skinned man with striking red hair, green eyes, and appallingly out-dated polyester suit and medallion, strolled up and gave him a smarmy grin.

"You work here?" Well, seems they really didn't know who he was.

"You can say that." His coat was still hung on the back of his chair from his previous bout of pacing and he felt naked without it and the concealed weapons within. "How can I help you gentlemen today?"

"We've been informed that you have a certain artifact that our employer is very interested in." Black kept his face carefully blank, even as his fingers twitched towards his pocket "We'd like to purchase it for a modest sum of money."

"I'm sorry, but it's not for sale. Sure you don't see anything else you like?" He was inching back casually towards the chair and his long coat, as discreetly as possible when a loud crash sounded in the air.

"See, here's the thing." Finn spoke as another of his crew, his larger, red-eyed companion, stepped over a pile of broken porcelain as he swaggered over to a display of fine china plates "Our boss is pretty dead set on that piece. And if it's not for sale, well. Let's just say it's either that piece or the _pieces _my associates are liking."

Another loud crash rang and Uncle stuck his head out from his backroom, mouth open to yell before witnessing the destruction of his lifeblood.

"Uncle's Antiques! You Will Pay For That!" Black decided that now was a good a time as any with the man distracting their attention and retrieved what he needed from his coat.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." He held out his badge as well as a piece of his own, trained between the temples of the leader who suddenly looked less sure of himself "I'm Captain Augustus Black of Section 13 and I'm placing you under arrest."

"Section 13? Isn't that those guys the boss said to stay away from?" The big guy had a hesitate look about him now and held a much firmer grip of the vase he was preparing to throw. "What now, Finn?"

"Now?" Finn's expression was harried, the smooth confidence from before evaporating in the face of the known threat "Now we do this!"

Finn retrieved his own firearm and as if on cue, the other two did as well and soon, the small store was filled with the sounds of gunfire. Black had pulled the older man down with him as he used the wooden counter as cover and fired off a few blind shots. He heard a loud shout followed by the shattering of what he believed was some late Victorian-Era tea set before rolling from wooden safety to a polished, garnished pot. The bullets ricocheted off the heavy ceramic, sitting other, less durable pieces that had the entire store echoing in an orchestra of broken antiquities.

"Aiya! Uncle's Shop is for Antiques, Not Shootouts From Spaghetti Westerns!" Black agreed with him on that much and focused fire on the larger of the Enforcers, who was inadequately positioned behind a painting of some kind.

"Got it!" The Captain twitched and turned his head just in time to watch as the Asian ran from the back room with the shield in hand. He'd been so preoccupied with the two in front of him, he'd forgotten the third. Well, he wasn't about to just let him leave like that.

Ignoring the cry from Uncle, -'Not Geisha! Is Collectable!'- he hurled the figurine into the back of the man's head where it broke with a solid 'thuck'. The Enforcer went down and Black sprint forward in the lull. Scooping up the shield and using it for its intended purpose before sprinting out the door into the streets. He pounded down the avenue, ducking behind a corner just a round grazed his shoulder. He hissed, but pushed down the pain, continuing down the wide street as the men followed, the sound of their weapons discharging effectively dispersing the civilians.

"Get back here!" Finn yelled, firing a trio of shots, all of which were avoided as the Captain ducked into the alleyway.

Black, making a split second decision, chucked the shield into a pile of garbage before directing his attention to the fire escape, whose ladder was tantalizingly out of reach. Cursing under his breath, he jumped for it, knowing he'd still be inches short, when it rattled and fell low enough for his grip to catch…Weird, but convenient. He hurriedly scaled the iron bars, clearing it just as another bullet glanced off the wrought iron.

"Goddammit!" Finn howled, already making haste for the ladder "Com' on!"

"But Finn, the shield's right there." Chow jerked his thumb at the pristine artifact amidst the fetid trash "Shouldn't we just take it and go?"

"Not before we get this bastard!" Finn knew it probably wasn't the best idea since they did have the shield and all, but his pride simply wouldn't allow for Captain Ahab to just jet off scot-free. Of course, there was also the sizable pay bonus involved should they manage to be the ones to stick a fork in the head of the group in charge of their downfall -seriously, how badass were they that they needed and entire secret agency dedicated to taking _them _down? Very, that's how much.- "Now, move it!"

Black managed to just barely clear the distant between the adjacent building and the alley between, displacing the shock with a roll and sprinting for the stairwell just as another shot hit the door where his head was a mere second ago. The building was thankful empty and upon exiting, he made a quick right-

"Argh!" Pain raced up his arm as he felt blood pour from his open wound, a crimson hole torn through his turtleneck sleeve. His gun clattered to the ground and he whirled, taking in the sight of Finn leveling a shot for his head. He fired and Black raised his arm to block.

But the shot never came.

The Captain and Enforcers all watched as the shot meant for Black seemed to ricochet in mid-air, driving into a brick wall. As the Enforcers tried to wrap their heads around what just happened, Black pushed his arm away and observed in a stupor as the seventies-theme man was thrown bodily into his buddies. He simply looked down at his hand, wide-eyed.

Finn groaned, picking himself up from the impromptu pile, only to find the man gone.

"Are you kiddin' me?" he felt his forehead throbbing and not just from the head trauma "He's freakin' physic now?!"

[FOAB]

Jade sat on the steps of the school, watching as the last of her classmates was whisked away in a green Mercedes. She rose her arm to steal a glance at her watch, the colorful moose character informing her that it was fifteen minutes to four, which meant she'd been waiting for forty-five minutes which meant her ride was late. She sighed.

And the day had gone so well too.

The morning lessons were as exciting as watching paint dry while listening to old-timey music, the only relief coming in the form of her neighbor Drew who was quick to chat her up and then pass notes when their teacher gave them their second to last warning. She found the boy interesting: he owned an impressive collection of Cyber Ninja Pirates Gaiden, had a wicked sense of humor, and knew enough about the goings-on to keep her up to speed. Sure, she'd found he had this tendency to rag on people perhaps a bit too much, but it was a habit she easily navigated and felt would be curb in time.

As promised, she demonstrated what she knew of her martial arts, going through a few practice forms before settling into a basic kata that was easy enough to execute and look sufficiently awesome when she did it. Drew had animatedly and unabashedly shown his admiration and all but demanded to be taught some of the flasher moves. Jade had felt something warm spread through her at that moment, a feeling of…of _rightness _when he asked that and her smile only grew when he fisted the air in triumphant. The lunch break was spent guiding him through the proper motions, the right footwork, getting him in the right mentality all of which seemed to be out of the lad's reach. By the end, he'd successfully managed to perform five amazing face-plants, three cross-legged stumbles, and a single, improbable bicycle kick that almost worked but gravity had vetoed the motion and sent him crashing smack on his head.

After Jade managed to stifle her giggle fit and Drew stopped glaring daggers at her, the rung and they returned to class where after a series of notes, Drew finally felt once more in a good mood and they spent the remainder of the day writing out elaborate little stories to one another. At the final bell, Drew had waved Jade off as he hopped in a red semi belonging to his dad and promised to bring a copy of Cyber Ninja Pirates Gaiden: The Blood Bath II tomorrow.

Yes, her day had been, in a word, awesome.

And then Black decided not to show up. She'd be lying if she said a part of her wasn't nagging on about being right, that Black was just like all the rest. That he only hung out with her out of obligation, not because he actually enjoyed spending time with her. She hated to give in to that part of herself but evidence supported the theory and experience told her it could and _did _happen. She had just been hoping he'd be different from the rest.

Better.

And then he came sprinting down the sidewalk, sans long coat -And how badass was that long coat? Really, was it just a rule that all one needed to be awesome was a long coat?- running like a man possessed. Jade huffed, hitching her backpacked filled with annoyingly heavy homework, as she crossed and shot him a withering gaze.

"Nice of you to finally show-Hey!" Her surprise was warranted; the man just scooped her up like a sack of potatoes and kept running "What's the big idea?!"

"Not now, Jade." His voice was labored and heavy with exhaustion, but Jade managed to push that aside as she fixed a glare at the back of his head. How dare he not let her finish her scathing and well-deserved rant about how sucky it was of him to just go off and leave her…like…

"Black? Are you okay?" She felt something wet against her pants leg and hesitantly reached down to brush over it, her hands coming back chillingly red "Captain Black?"

"_Not now, Jade._" And that promptly shut her up long. At least until a trio of men rounded the corner and she yelped as gunfire, actual, life-threatening _gunfire, _whizzed past them. "Keep your head down!"

No need to tell her twice, her head already buried in his chest as her ears rung from the sailing ammunition. They turned down another street and she felt Black pause, which was enough of a change given their current situation -They were being freakin' shot at!- that she chanced a look. He had a hand extended, face contorting with effort as he held it towards a fire hydrant. At that moment, the men gave bounding and Jade fidgeted in his grasp and was about to tell him to stop being constipated and go already when groaning filled the air. Turning back, she watched in amazement as the metal structure creaked and groaned before lifting from its bolted stance to rocket sideways and into the largest of them with a very audible 'Oof!'

"You're physic?" She was pretty sure she was in shock, but then again, it's not everyday your guardian whose head of an secret governmental organization also turns out to be able to move stuff with his mind. "Cool."

"Apparently." He was back running now, ducking inside a building and pushing past the crowd inside as he made for the stairs. He took them three at a time, her ears distantly registering the shocked and panicked surprise of the people below as their assailant gained on them. They burst through to the roof, the Captain stopping when he noticed the wide boulevard separating them.

"Crap. We don't have time to turn around." He was obviously frantic, she could see his mind racing as it scrambled for a solution. Jade thought the answer was obvious.

"Just jump it," he intoned and received a _look _in response.

"That's more than a forty foot gap. I _can't _jump that." he stated matter-of-factly and Jade rolled her eyes. Man, adults really had no imagination even with superpowers.

"You're physic, remember? Just jump and don't fall." It was clear to her that he was questioning her sanity, but she easily brushed it off "Trust me."

The moment she uttered those words, the door burst open and the men started barking orders. No other favorable options left, Black took a step back, said a quiet prayer, and leapt.

She'll attest to clinging a bit more firmly to her guardian, but that was due to the fact that they were now hovering in the air nearly a dozen stories up and she wanted to make sure she didn't add to the numerous other stains of San Francisco. For a brief, fleeting moment, she thought they'd fall to their doom due to her stupid idea, but after a passing moment of sinking, they floated. Black seemed more surprised than her really, but took the chance to move forward as though wading through a pool on the deep end. After a few seconds, they landed, the Captain's steps shaky as he steadied them and turned to look back at the men who simply stared, too stupefied to even shoot. Deciding not to see how long that'd last, Black ran and leapt to another building.

Once they were far enough away, Black looked down at his charge and casually started back conversation.

"So, you saw how my day went. How'd yours go?" She thought back on the events prior to the abrupt bout of moving target practice, superpowers, and leaping impossible gorges and a bright smile lit her face.

"I made a friend."

**Author's Notes: **And, we're done! It was going to be longer, but I felt this was a good place to stop for now. And now, for the questions!

Jade and Black: Bonding: If you'll notice, I added Jade to this stories tag of characters because after Black, she's probably the deuteragonist of this story. Her bonding with Black replaces that of Jackie and Torhu, plans for him later, and a good portion of this fic might end up a bit…fluffy. Just letting you know.

Jade and Drew: BFFs: I think, in any other circumstance, Jade and Drew would be great friends. Sure, Drew can be a bit jerkass-y but that's why he has Jade, to kick him back into line whenever he goes too far off the rails. As shown here, he likes Jade because she's both new and exciting. He likes that she likes the things he likes and that she knows stuff he doesn't. Jade likes Drew for the same reasons. And boy, are they gonna be seeing a lot of each other soon…*cough*Forthchapter*cough*Notforeshadowing*cough*

Uncle's Rare Finds: Shootout: The Enforcers are criminals. Top tier criminals with enough experience and expertise to climb to the top brass of one of the most powerful underground organizations in the world. The reason they seem so inept is mostly due to the fact that they're pretty much out of their element with all this magic crap. That and Jackie Chan is pretty much unbeatable in his universe, seriously half the stuff he does is pretty much impossible for a regular person. The reason they didn't pull guns on Jackie all that often is because the man outran a train wreck, lava, and kicked their ass with windshield wipers. _Windshield Wipers. _If even the ninjas and big bads can't handle him, what use would a gun do?

Captain Black: Downgraded?: Black is not Jackie. He is not a nigh-unbeatable, physic breaking, reality warping martial artist. He doesn't have magic…He doesn't have any extra training…The Enforcers were shooting at him, they aren't poor-shots, he just can't dodge bullets. Black is still badass, but he's dealing with somewhat more competent Enforcers and has now been introduced to magic. Trust me, he's gonna be taking several levels in Badass, just not immediately.

Rooster Talisman: Where?: Guess…I'm sure people are still gonna guess wrong, even if it's glaringly obvious.

Anyway, that's all for now! TTF-Oh! By the way, this fic will only update once a month until ADF is finished so yeah, don't expect the same rapid fire , for me at least, updates like it receives. TTFN!


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